Waltzes from Vienna

Music by Johann Strauss (father & son)

Music adapted by Ronald Hanmer, new book and lyrics by Phil Park
Original libretto by A M Willner, H Reichert & E Marischka

Performed at The Little Theatre Monday 1 March - Saturday 6 March 2004

2004 saw a show never before produced by the Players.  Waltzes from Vienna (also sometimes known as The Great Waltz) was the eventual winner from a spirited selection meeting that also considered The Merry Widow, The Geisha, White Horse Inn and The Maid of the Mountains.  The show charts the rise of Johann Strauss the younger to become the acknowledged new “Waltz King” of Vienna.  As the current “Waltz King” is his own father this rise in status does not always run smoothly!  The glorious music is a blend of marches, waltzes and other music from the pens of father and son, including the Radetzky March, the Emperor Waltz, the “Thunder & Lightning Polka” and as a finale the immortal “Blue Danube”. 

Production team:
The Players are delighted to welcome a new-look production team for 2003/04:
Director: ROBERTA MORRELL (making a very welcome return)
Musical Director: MICHAEL BONSHOR (his debut with the LOPs)

By arrangement with Josef Weinberger Ltd

SETTING

Vienna, 1845

Act 1: Ebeseder’s Confectionery Shop
Act 2: Dommayer’s Garden Restaurant
Act 3: Countess Baranskaya’s Salon

SYNOPSIS

ACT 1

The shop and café of Herr Ebeseder, Vienna’s master pastry-cook, is in its usual busy state.  Amongst the patrons are Vogl, an old crony of Ebeseder’s, and his son Leopold.  Leopold asks Ebeseder for his daughter Lina’s hand in marriage and Ebeseder is happy to agree, provided that it is what Lina wants also.  On being asked – rather clumsily – by Leopold, Lina is unable to give an immediate answer and Leopold correctly suspects that she has her eye on someone else.  The patrons are delighted when the young Johann Strauss, son of the famous “Waltz King of Vienna” of the same name, pays a visit.  It is soon clear that it is Johann whom Lina prefers but Johann is struggling to make his own name as a composer and cannot yet support her.  Johann’s father Strauss, composer of such famous music as the “Radetzky March” and the “Thunder & Lightning Polka”, is openly scornful of his son’s attempts to write music as he believes Johann’s efforts to lack all form and structure.  No Viennese musicians will risk offending Strauss by playing the son’s music without the father’s approval and so Johann cannot get his music heard.  However, Countess Olga hears one of the pieces he has written and promises him her support.  Overcome with thanks, Johann promises to dedicate his new waltz to the Countess, forgetting he had promised just the same to Lina only a few minutes before.  When Lina finds out she rushes away greatly upset, leaving Johann to rue his mistake.

 

 

ACT 2

As the curtain rises, the Viennese are enjoying an evening concert given by Strauss and his orchestra.  At the interval, Strauss circulates amongst the audience receiving their congratulations when he is startled to be invited- immediately – to the Russian embassy.  The bearer of the message, Captain Vronski, hints that an invitation to St Petersburg for Strauss and his orchestra may hang upon his swift attendance oin the Ambassador.  Encouraged by the audience (with Olga, who has orchestrated the invitation, to the fore), Strauss departs and the audience are entertained, in an extended interval, by the tipsy Ebeseder and Leopold.  Before Strauss can return, Johann appears, summoned by an anonymous letter.  He thinks it was from Lina but she has still not forgiven him for his gaffe.  The audience become restless for the remainder of the concert and under pressure from them and especially from Olga, Johann takes the baton to conduct the second half on his father’s behalf despite Lina’s pleas to abandon a career that has brought him no success to date despite all his efforts.  Drexler, leader of the orchestra, insists that Johann’s new waltz opens the programme and it wins a rapturous reception – just as Strauss returns.  Convinced that his Embassy invitation was all a plot (which it was) to supplant him with Johann (which it wasn’t) Strauss storms off in a rage, vowing never to speak to his son again.  Johann reflects ruefully that success comes at too high a price.

 

 

ACT 3

Olga is hosting a birthday party for the now hugely-successful Johann.  Acclaimed by all the guests, he nonetheless manages to seize a moment with Lina when they quietly agree that Johann’s decision was the right one: he has his fame and career, she has found happiness with Leopold.  Johann is then startled to find that his father is a late-arriving guest to the party – and even more surprised when Strauss admits that in spite of himself he too has grown to like Johann’s new melodies.  Strauss has arranged one final surprise for his son: he produces a grand bandmaster’s uniform with the news that Vienna is now to have two militia bands and that Johann, as newly-appointed bandmaster, is his father’s equal in every way.  The operetta closes with the two Strauss maestros conducting “The Blue Danube” together.

Rehearsal and backstage photographs
(please be warned – a lot of photos on this page)

CAST

COUNTESS OLGA BARANSKAYA
LINA EBESEDER (Ebeseder’s daughter)
MITZI (Waitress in the Pastry-shop)
HANNA
GRETL

JOHANN STRAUSS (The Waltz King of Vienna;
Composer of the “Blue Danube” Waltz)
JOHANN STRAUSS (his Father)
EBESEDER (Celebrated Viennese Pastry-Cook)
VOGL (Court Tailor)
LEOPOLD (Vogl’s son)
CAPTAIN VASSILI VRONSKI  (of the Embassy staff)
DREXLER (leader of Strauss’ Orchestra)
DOMMAYER (Garden-restaurant proprietor)
SOLDIER

Lesley Heighton

Alexandra Hopewell
Ethne Goode
Sandra Bloxham
Janette Faulkner

David Lovell

Ron Smith
Brian Moore
Alan Gale
Philip de Voil
Richard Blackman
Paul Nicholls
David Robinson
Trevor Harvey

 

CITIZENS OF VIENNA

Pauline Brimble, Josie Childs, Nina Crook, Becky Foord, Sarah Holland, Jo Holroyd, Gill Horton,
Christl Hughes, Sharon Leeson, Jane McDonald, Pam Meade, Helen Rae, Clare Townend.

Alan Bullas, Peter Charleston, Keith Goode, Trevor Harvey, John Heighton, David Lewis,
Paul Nicholls, David Robinson, Richard Smithson, Frank Timson, Frank Williams.

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director
Musical Director
Accompanist
Stage Manager
Assisted by
Technical Stage Manager

Roberta Morrell
Michael Bonshor
Gill Hawkes
Terry Bolingbroke
Lisa Scully, Penny Charles
John Hendrie